Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/613

This page needs to be proofread.

COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES old homestead where he now resides, and is a son o f Mordecai and great-grandson o f Jo se p h M illard, one of the first Q uaker set­ tle rs of the county. Joseph M illard, the great-grandfather, came to Columbia county some time before 1800 a n d liought a tract o f five hundred acres along the river. H e was a member of the Society o f Friends and regular in attending meeting tw ice a week. H e w as originally from Berks county, and w as probably a descendant o f one of the company o f Q iu k crs who came to Pcnn.sylvania a fte r the first settling o f this S ta te by the Penns. R eese M illard, son o f Joseph, w as born in C entre township, lived on (he homestead, and (here died in (833. Ilis widow survived imtii 1852. He w as twice m arried, first to Catherine Rittenhouse. by whom he had a fam ily o f seven children: Phœbe, who died in childhood; W illiam, living in Illinois; Jo sep h B., in Kalam azoo, M ich .; Phœbe ( 2 ) : A nn e. M rs. W illiam Bow m an; Rebecca, who m arried Col. Jam es Tubbs, o f Shiekshinny, P a . : and Catherine, who m arried Isaac Con­ ner, o f O rangeville. T he mother o f this fam ­ ily died about 18 18 and is buried in B er­ w ick. M r. M illard later m arried Elizabeth H orton, and they had four children: M ary 6 ., who m arried D. K . Sloan, o f O rangeville; Fran ces I-., who m arried Je sse Hoffm an, o f B ria rc rc e k; M ordccai; and Rccsc, who m ar­ ried Ja n e Fow ler, residing in M orris county. K ansas. M ordecai M illard w as born in Centre town­ ship A p ril 7, 18 3 1. and received a common school education. In 1867 he received the nomination o f (he Democratic party fo r the office o f sheriff, w as elected, and removed to Bloomsburg. A fte r serving his term as sh eriff he w as appointed stew ard of the State Norm al institution at Bloomsburg and filled the position fo r one year. H e next received the appointment o f doorkeeper of the State Senate, serving through the session o f 18 7 172. H e resided in Bloomsburg until 1875. when he retired to his farm, dying in 1897. H e also served two terms as associate judge of the county. H is brother. Reese, w as a captain in the ti2 ih R a im e n t Artillery’ dur­ ing the C ivil w ar. T he only one of their gen­ eration living ( 1 9 1 3 ) is Frances L .. widow o f Jcssc Hoffman, who lives in Almedia. Mordecai M illard was m arried Dec. I. 1852. to Sarah J ., daughter o f W illiam and Annie (D ietrich) Hoffm an, and they became the parents o f nine children: W illiam H .: Anna E . : M ary I . : Ernest S .; John L . : Rccsc M .:

521

Fannie H .; Charles B .; and Hattie L . He w as a member of the Methodist Church and stood high in the community. W illiam H . M illard w as the fourth of the fam ily in direct succession to grow up and reside on the old homestead, l i e never mar­ ried, his sister, Anna Elizabeth, residing with him and keeping house fo r him. Of their brothers and sisters only two arc liv in g : M ary Iiuogcne. w ife o f Joseph Crcssy (they have no ch ild re n ); and Ernest S ., who nurried Fxina Moore, o f W ilkes-Barre, has two sons, and resides in Kingston. M r. M illard, like his father, is a mcml>cr of the Methodist Church. M rs. Sarah J . (H offm an ) M illard, mother o f W illiam H . M illard, w as bom in Centre township and lived at home until her m ar­ riage. She died in 1905. H er father. WiUiam Hoffman, w as proprietor of the W olverton M ills and a prominent man in Centre town­ ship. Philip Hoffm an, his grandfather, came to this county from the neighborhood o f Beth­ lehem, Pa., and located at Fow lerville. H e w as a farm er, and had served in the R evo­ lutionary w ar. H e and his w ife arc buried in the old cemetery near the Grange hall. H ts son, John, father o f William Hoffman, w as a veteran of the w ar o f 18 12, and fo l­ lowed farm ing on his place o f 170 acres until his death, in 1849. at the age o f seventy. His w ife died about 1840. W illiam Hoffm an was one o f four children, lived with his parents until he w as o f age, and then m arried Annie Dietrich, who w as o f German parentage. T hey were the parents o f six children: J e s s e : John, a mill ow n er; Sarah J ., M rs. M illard: Charles, WiUiam, and Elizalwth. C H E S T E R S . F U R M A N, deceased, was bom at Bloomsburg. Columbia Co., P a., Feb. 14. 1842. and for many years was one o f (he b « t known citizens o f that town. He erected a three-story brick building in 1876 at No. 1 1 9 W est Slain street, and there conducted a harness business until the day o f his death. T he business is still carried on for the estate by his son. Ointon. E lias Furm an, grandfather o f Chester S.. was bom near Trenton, N . J .. and moving to E sp y, Columbia Co., Pa., located on the farm now owned by the Snyder heirs, where he died. H is fam ily consisted o f : EUas R .. who married Sarah B a rk le y : Sally, who m arried l/jv i G u lick; M oore, who married M ary BarkIcy; Jo siah, and several other children whose names have not been preserved. Josiah Furm an, father o f Chester S., w as